Live Oak middle school woodshop reopens after six years

LIVE OAK &GT;&GT; After being shuttered for six years, Shoreline Middle School's woodshop has re-opened with a free summer program, thanks to a $20,000 donation from Live Oak residents Bill and Brigid Simpkins.

Bandsaws buzzed and sawdust filled the air this summer, as 63 Shoreline students built shelves, flower boxes and stools. Melissa Martinez, 12, said she joined the program to learn to use her hands.

"Maybe I've hammered a nail once or twice, but it's my first time using a planer, building things," she said. "It's like real-life Legos."

As one of her first projects, Melissa cut, sanded, drilled and painted blue and white shelves.

"I made this," she said. "I didn't buy it at a store. I designed this. It's one of a kind."

Shoreline's program began in 1997, the year the school opened, thanks to then-principal Nathan Cross, who brought it from Del Mar Elementary. Cross, who holds a degree in furniture design, said shop class was a way to hook students and teach real-life applications of math.

In 2008, when the shop teacher retired, the school opted to hire a math teacher instead, due to the school's low scores, said Principal Colleen Martin. The woodshop has been used as storage space since, until Bill Simpkins, at the urging of his son, a Shoreline alum, approached Martin in October with his donation and request for a free program centered on math skills.

Simpkins said his son Russell, now in his 20s, designs and builds portable showers for wheelchair users — a career that can be traced back to his woodworking classes at Shoreline and Soquel High.

The donation also funds an after-school shop program in 2014-15 and another summer program in 2015. The school seeks more funding to support an elective school year program in 2015-16, said Martin.

Hal Rovick, an 18-year woodworking teacher at Soquel High, led Shoreline's summer program. Rovick, who works out of the county's regional occupational program, said he's excited about the idea of developing students at a younger age.

"I can already look at students and say, 'If you want it, you have a future in this industry,'" Rovicks said.

After graduating, many of his ROP students enter apprenticeships and construction management and industrial arts programs in college, he said.

Eduardo Peralta, 13, a Shoreline graduate headed to Soquel High, inspected his glue work on his shelves. He said he joined the summer program to learn about his father's hobby and has the tools in his garage, but didn't know how to use them until now. He hopes to continue with woodworking in high school, he said.